Earley Town Council facing big rent hike

Earley Town Council could face a rent rise of thousands of pounds after a review of the lease on a community centre.

The annual fee for Radstock Lane Community Centre is set to rise from £25 to £7,500, after Wokingham Borough Council reviewed the amount it charges the town council for the two-room hall.

At a meeting tonight councillors will hear that Wokingham Borough Council is proposing the price hike in line with the rental agreement negotiated 30 years ago. The £25 annual fee was set in 1983 between the town council and Berkshire County Council before its abolition. The 60-year lease stated the price would be reviewed in 2012 after 29 years and also detailed how any future rent would be calculated.

Speaking before the meeting, Councillor Michael Firmager, chairman of the amenities and leisure committee, said any question of raising hire prices to fund the new charge would be a matter for full council.

He said: “There might be some negotiation with the borough over the price rise.

“It would be a committee decision if hire prices for the hall would be put up and that would be made at the end of the year.